A 37-year-old man from Metchosin is dead following a Friday night shooting near Highway 14.
According to the West Shore RCMP, the shooting took place in the 4600-block of Sooke Road (Highway 14) in Metchosin at around 9 p.m.
Officers along with members of the Vancouver Island RCMP Emergency Response Team arrived on the scene after receiving reports that a man had been shot, fired and found the man dead.
Multiple sources tell CHEK News the victim is Shane Wilson.
No arrests have been made and Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit (VIIMCU) has now taken over the investigation.
Const. Alex Bérubé, media relations officer for the West Shore RCMP told reporters during a press conference Saturday that the shooting was a targeted incident.
“This is was not a random act of violence. Initial evidence gathered at the scene led investigators to believe that this was a targeted incident,” he said.
RCMP has revealed limited information about the nature of the shooting or victim, only saying that he was a resident of Metchosin and was known to law enforcement.
The victim’s next of kin has been notified, according to Bérubé, who said RCMP will not be revealing his name at this time.
“I cannot confirm, at this time, the identity of the deceased,” he said. “The investigation will take its course and eventually the name of the deceased will be released.”
Asked whether the incident was gang-related, Bérubé declined to comment, only saying that the incident was targeted and there is no larger threat to the general public.
“We understand that the public may feel uneasy about the situation that happened last night in Metchosin,” he said. “However, we can let them know that there were a huge number of police resources deployed in the area.”
The shooting resulted in a 1.8 kilometre stretch of Sooke Road (Highway 14), between Impala Road and Humpback Road, closed to traffic in both directions since Friday night. It reopened at around 3:45 p.m. Saturday.
Bérubé said the road was closed while investigators searched an area of about 200 metres around the crime scene for evidence.
“This is why we are blocking off a big portion of the road … to ensure we are not leaving any evidence behind and as the investigation progresses the perimeter will shorten,” he explained.
The suspect remains at large, according to Bérubé, who said West Shore RCMP are asking anyone with information and anyone who was travelling in the area around 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Friday to contact them at 250-474-2264.
This article will be updated when more information becomes available
Police are currently investigating a shooting that left one man dead in the 4600 block of Sooke Rd in Metchosin. Victim was known to police and the shooting is believed to be targeted. Click here for more info: https://t.co/OKCfoUIT2r
— West Shore RCMP (@WestshoreRCMP) March 6, 2021
REMINDER – #BCHwy14 is closed in #SookeBC east of Kangaroo Road due to a police incident. Detour now available. Eastbound traffic can use Gillespie Rd for a detour. . Westbound traffic from #SookeBC can use Happy Valley Rd as a detour. For more info: https://t.co/ngRssIvw6V
— DriveBC (@DriveBC) March 6, 2021
Nicholas Pescod
Ben Nesbit
